Over the last several years, the use of unprescribed “study drugs”—stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Vyvanse—has been steadily rising on university campuses across North America. These drugs are intended to treat individuals with disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For those students without a prescription, however, these[Read More…]
Commentary
Why I resigned from the SSMU Board of Directors
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)—who could have expected that such an innocuous-sounding group could elicit such a divisive reaction? And yet, we the student body, are embroiled in yet another series of scandals involving SSMU. SSMU is a body that supplies many services to students that are rarely[Read More…]
Clarifying the McGill context at Carnival and future events
What is the “McGill context?” When do student activities count as a McGill event? Are events hosted off-campus still considered a McGill context? What about Frosh, or a house party in Milton-Parc? These are difficult, but nonetheless important, questions because some of McGill’s policies only apply to a McGill context.[Read More…]
Trudeau’s carbon tax policies are burden for the Canadian economy
The Liberal Government plans to fight climate change with compulsory provincial carbon pricing schemes. However, these measures are not suitable considering Canada’s current economic predicament. The imposition of carbon tax schemes represents the Liberals’ commitment to burdensome and ineffective ways of combatting climate change. These taxes raise energy prices for[Read More…]
Trudeau must be held accountable in the era of “alternative facts”
On Jan. 31, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order limiting immigration from seven majority Muslim countries. The order also suspended the United States’ acceptance of refugees for 120 days, and barred Syrian refugees completely. Trump’s order ignores the 1951 Geneva Convention, which recommends that participating governments provide asylum to refugees[Read More…]
Quebec pharmacists should not act as gate-keepers for emergency contraception
The condom broke, you skipped a pill, or your memories are foggy from the night before. Accidents happen: Thankfully, emergency contraceptive pills are available. Since 2005, pharmacies have provided levonorgestrel pills (Plan B) without a prescription in Canada. In 11 provinces and territories, you can now find Plan B beside[Read More…]
Defending the 8:35: Why early mornings at McGill aren’t going away
There is a certain meme circulating the depths of the Internet with which, by now, many McGillians should be quite familiar. It depicts a triangular model whose vertices point to certain generalizations about college life. “Good grades. Social life. Enough sleep. Pick two!” Though some may not find that their[Read More…]
McGill must improve the medical notes system
At 8:30 on weekday mornings, coughs and sniffles fill the McGill Health Services clinic. Sick students, looking miserable to their core, sit and wait—some for strep tests, others for a prescription. Many, however, have braved the negative temperature and icy sidewalks to wait for nothing but a medical note to[Read More…]
American Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos is a threat to students with disabilities
I would not be at McGill University if it were not for the assistance of the United States of America’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law requiring schools to provide for the individual needs of students with disabilities. Guidelines set by the IDEA enabled me to succeed[Read More…]
Copycats should steer clear of Canadian politics
To many, the result of the American Presidential election was an upset. The outcome suggests that populism is on the rise in the United States, with Donald Trump depicting himself as the newest face of the movement, It seems that the Canadian practice of adopting certain forms of American culture[Read More…]
